This instead of that...

I could go on and on about why you should not buy certain things. One one hand I understand why people buy things. They get them on sale, with a coupon  and usually for free. When you are on a budget or out of work, sometimes this is the only way you eat. So I do understand why people do the things they do. But these options are not always healthy or good for the earth. This is where I have a hard time. I have finally come to a place in my life where I take the time to think about stuff and choose not to do it. There are alternatives to many things out there and would love for people to maybe try them out. Not everyone has the time to do some of these things but just try one or two. I want people to understand that just because its free, does not mean you need to take it home.

A few examples:

Free Oreo's coupon a few weeks ago-Become a fan of Oreo's and get a coupons sent to you for a free bag of Oreo's. Really? Do we really need to bring home a container full of sugar? Yes they might be good but oh my gosh are these so unhealthy. In just 2 cookies there is 150 calories, 7 grams of fat , less than 1 gram of protein and 12 grams of sugars. 2 cookies!  Each pack has 32 cookies in it. How about instead of getting these free cookies, maybe make some homemade cookies? Substitute 1/2 the sugar with apple sauce and throw in some flax seed. Plus the kids will love the whole experience of making cookies with their parents.

Tomorrow is free pancakes at IHOP.  Which means you will go there, wait in line forever to eat some pancakes that are not the healthiest. Plus there will be lots of butter involved, and sugary syrup. Then don't forget the tip your gonna have to leave. So is it really free? No its not. Your body is gonna have to digest all that unhealthy food, your wallet is gonna be a little skinnier, and your patience will be running thin as well. No thanks. Instead I would much rather make my own whole wheat pancakes that I can make with no sugar involved. Maybe throw on some homemade jelly and feel full and healthy after.

Super cheap plug ins, sprays, lotions etc at your local drug store. Its on all the blogs, you read about it or hear about it from everyone. Get free product from Walgreens, CVS, etc. I struggle with this one the hardest. I hear FREE FREE FREE all the time and my little frugal freebie inner me wants to run out and go get all these amazing freebies. Well guess what? You can do other things instead. Plug in fresheners are usually almost free, instead maybe burn a candle. These plug ins can be easily taken out and your children or pets can get sick from them. They are full of synthetic oils that say they are natural scents but are toxic. Or free lotions for your skin with rebate. Okay first you will have to send in for the rebate.  I have no patience so this wont work for me. Then its the matter of whats inside these lotions. Have you ever read the ingredients on these brands?  Oh my oh my. My skin crawls thinking about them all. Instead how about buying a all natural lotion? Trader Joe's has one for only $2.99 and its all natural.  There are hundreds of new and exciting all natural lotions available all over. Check out your local Whole Foods, New Seasons and Trader Joe's.

Breads are anywhere from $1-$5 per loaf of bread.  Usually the healthier the bread, the more expensive it is.  I invested in a bread machine a couple of months ago and boy am I glad. My $40 investment has payed for itself in the first month. Instead of buying your bread full of sugar or preservatives, get your own bread machine and have control over what kind of bread you want and whats in it. I now make my own bread for about 50 cents per loaf. Since I have to feed a family of 6, we go through a loaf each day. Plus this machine also helps me make lots more things like pizza dough and rolls. Keep an eye out for sales. My machine I bought for $40 at Bi Mart a local NW business. Thats was a good deal.

Another thing that gets our attention is sugary cereal's. There are always tons of coupons for these things. You can get them for pennies or even free at times. But do these unhealthy cereal's really get our children off to a good start each morning? Take a look at how much sugar is in it, then how much sodium, and then take a peek at the ingredients. Cringe... Nope I just cannot do it. Years ago when I had my first 2 children I would buy these cereals. I admit that I even ate it. Then to not get so much sugar in our systems, I would mix half of this unhealthy cereal with some healthy cereal like cheerio's. And then I just stopped buying any of the unhealthy stuff. Now instead we eat healthy options. Our favorites are the following. Banana, apple slices, oat meal, any Bobs Red Mill whole grain cereal's, Kashi of any variety, and my oldest daughters favorite saltines with cream cheese. Don't ask, I have no idea why she loves it.  My favorite thing to eat for breakfast is a slice of my homemade bread with butter and almond butter.  Mmmm

A big thing that we did was stop buying fast food. Its unhealthy, who knows if its sanitary, and seems cheap but its not. So instead of hitting up a fast food place we do a few different things. First you can just pack your own snack for later. My kids love picking what snack they want to bring with us and putting it in their lunch bags. If your on the go and do not have the option of a health food store, there are still options.  Any grocery store will work too. Our favorite is a fresh baked roll, one banana and a yogurt. Again my kids love this one. Its usually only about $1.50 per kid. We just drink water they provide at the deli area. My favorite option is going to Whole Foods. They have an amazing deli area that changes each day.  You get a plate/bowl and fill it with what you want. Best part is its no waste!  They provide plates/utensils that they wash. Plus they also have recycling for everything, alternative corn based utensils for on the go, and best part is they compost everything!  Im in love with their mac n cheese and salad bar. Mmmmm So instead of hitting up your local fast food joint, stop by a regular store and get some really fast food called fruit.

Again I really could go on and on about stuff. Anyone else have any this instead of that idea's? Share with the whole class!